
~v* '\/ %,' 








-w 









i? ^ 






>v 







o v 






^ 




A 

<y o « o „ <$> 



«> 








^\ 




V* V V ■>*' 







^ 



V 




^ 







*%S<(r . a 



?%. 





A 






** v \ 




.* ,* 







£r ^ 



YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH 

ALBERT S. COOK, Editor 

LXIII 

THE 

OLD ENGLISH PHYSiOLOGUS 

ii 

TEXT AND PROSE TRANSLATION 

BY 

ALBERT STANBURROUGH COOK 

Professor of the English Language and Literature in Yale University 
VERSE TRANSLATION 

BY 

JAMES HALL PITMAN 

Fellow in English of Yale University 




NEW HAVEN : YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS 

LONDON: HUMPHREY MILFORD 

OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS 

MDCCCXXI 0(2 



4p 



mm 

UML 30 1922 



WEIMAR: PRINTED BY R. WAGNER SOHN. 



PREFACE 

The Old English Physiologus, or Bestiary, is a series 
of three brief poems, dealing with *the mythical traits 
of a land-animal, a sea-beast, and a bird respectively, and 
deducing from them certain moral or religious lessons. 
These three creatures are selected from a much larger 
number treated in a work of the same name which was 
compiled at Alexandria before 140 B. C, originally in 
Greek, and afterwards translated into a variety of lan- 
guages — into Latin before 431. The standard form of the 
Physiologus has 49 chapters, each dealing with a separate 
animal (sometimes imaginary) or other natural object, 
beginning with the lion, and ending with the ostrich; 
examples of these are the pelican, the eagle, the phoenix, 
the ant (cf. Prov. 6.6), the fox, the unicorn, and the 
salamander. In this standard text, the Old English 
poems are represented by chapters 16, 17, and 18, deal- 
ing in succession with the panther, a mythical sea- 
monster called the asp-turtle (usually denominated the 
whale), and the partridge. Of these three poems, the 
third is so fragmentary that little is left except eight 
lines of religious application, and four of exhortation 
by the poet, so that the outline of the poem, and especi- 
ally the part descriptive of the partridge, must be con- 
jecturally restored by reference to the treatment in the 
fuller versions, which are based upon Jer. 17. n (the 
texts drawn upon for the application in lines 5— n are 
2 Cor. 6. 17, 18; Isa. 55.7; Heb. 2. 10, n). 



iv Preface 

It has been said: 'With the exception of the Bible, 
there is perhaps no other book in all literature that has 
been more widely current in every cultivated tongue and 
among every class of people.' Such currency might be 
illustrated from many English authors. Two passages 
from Elizabethan literature may serve as specimens — the 
one from Spenser, the other from Shakespeare. The 
former is from the Faerie Queene (i. n.34) : 

At last she saw, where he upstarted brave 

Out of the well, wherein he drenched lay; 

As Eagle fresh out of the Ocean wave, 

Where he hath left his plumes all hoary gray, 

And deckt himselfe with feathers youthly gay, 

Like Eyas hauke up mounts unto the skies, 

His newly budded pineons to assay, 

And marveiles at himselfe, still as he flies: 

So new this new-borne knight to battell new did rise. 

The other is from Hamlet (Laertes to the King) : 

To his good friends thus wide I'll ope my arms; 
And like the kind life-rendering pelican, 
Repast them with my blood. 1 

However widely diffused, the symbolism exemplified 
by the Physiologus is peculiarly at home in the East. 
Thus Egypt symbolized the sun, with his death at night 
passing into a rebirth, by the phoenix, which, by a natural 
extension, came to signify the resurrection. And the 
Bible not only sends the sluggard to the ant, and bids 
men consider the lilies of the field, but with a large sweep 
commands (Job 12.7, 8) : 'Ask now the beasts, and they 
shall teach thee ; and the fowls of the air, and they shall 
tell thee ; or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee ; 
and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.' 

1 Alfred de Musset, in La Nuit de Mai, develops the image of 
the pelican through nearly thirty lines. 



Preface v 

The text as here printed is extracted from my edition, 
The Old English Elene, Phoenix, and Physiologus (Yale 
University Press, 1919), where a critical apparatus may 
be found ; here it may be sufficient to say that Italic 
letters in square brackets denote my emendations, and 
Roman letters those of previous editors. The trans- 
lations have not hitherto been published, and no com- 
plete ones are extant in any language, save those con- 
tained in Thorpe's edition of the Codex Exoniensis, 
which appeared in 1842. The long conjectural passage 
in the Partridge is due wholly to Mr. Pitman. 

A. S. C. 

March 27, 1921. 



PHYSIOLOGUS 



PHYSIOLOGUS 

I 
THE PANTHER 

Monge sindon geond middangeard 
unrimu cynn, [para] pe we sejpelu ne magon 
ryhte areccan ne rim wit an ; 
]D8es wide sind geond wor[w]l[d] innan 
5 fugla and deora foldhrerendra 

wornas widsceope, swa wseter bibuged 
J)isne beorhtan bosm, brim grymetende, 
sealtyjDa geswing. 

We bi sumum hyrdon 
wraetlic[wm] gecynd[<?] wildra secgan, 
10 firum freamaerne, feorlondum on, 
eard weardian, eSles neotan, 
sefter dunscrafum. Is f>set deor Pandher 
bi noman haten, pxs f>e nip{)a bear[n], 



Many, yea numberless, are the tribes throughout the 
world whose natures we can not rightly expound nor 
their multitudes reckon, so immense are the swarms of 
birds and earth-treading animals wherever water, the 
roaring ocean, the surge of salt billows, encompasses 
the smiling bosom of earth. 

We have heard about one marvelous kind of wild 
beast which inhabits, in lands far off, a domain renowned 
among men, rejoicing there in his home amid the moun- 
tain-caves. This beast is called panther, as the learned 



PHYSIOLOGUS 

I 
THE PANTHER 

Of living creatures many are the kinds 
Throughout the world — unnumbered, since no man 
Can count their multitudes, nor rightly learn 
The ways of their wild nature ; wide they roam, 
These beasts and birds, as far as ocean sets 
A limit to the earth, embracing her 
And all her sunny fields with salty seas 
And toss of roaring billows. 

We have heard 
From men of wider lore of one wild beast, 
Wonderful dweller in a far-off land 
Renowned of men, who loves his native glens 
And dusky caverns. Him have wise men called 



4 The Panther 

wisfaeste weras, on gewritum cyj)a[#] 
15 bi J>am anstapan. 

Se is se[g]hwam freond, 

duguda estig, but an dracan anum ; 

J)am he in ealle tid andwraQ leofaj), 

{>urh yfla gehwylc Ipe he geaefnan maeg. 
Daet is wraetlic deor, wundrum scyne, 
20 hiwa gehwylces. Swa haeled secga5, 

gaesthalge guman, J)aette Iosephes 

tunece waere telga gehwylces 

bleom bregdende, J)ara beorhtra gehwylc, 

aeghwaes aenlicra, 5J)rum lixte 
25 dryhta bearnum, swa {jobs deores hiw, 

blaec, brigda gehwaas, beorhtra and scynra 

wundrum Iixe5, f>a3tte wraetlicra 

aeghwylc 5J)rum, »nlicra glen 

and fsegerra, fraBtwum blice5, 
30 symle sellicra. 

He hafa5 sundorgecynd, 

among the children of men report in their books con- 
cerning that lonely wanderer. 

He is a friend, bountiful in kindness, to every one 
save only the dragon ; with him he always lives at enmi- 
ty by means of every injury he can inflict. 

He is a bewitching animal, marvelously beautiful with 
every color. Just as, according to men holy in spirit, 
Joseph's coat was variegated with hues of every shade, 
each shining before the sons of men brighter and more 
perfect than another, so does the color of this beast blaze 
with every diversity, gleaming in wondrous wise so clear 
and fair that each tint is ever lovelier than the next, 
glows more enchanting in its splendor, more rare, more 
beauteous, and more strange. 

He has a nature all his own, so gentle and so calm is 



The Panther 

The panther, and in books have told of him, 
The solitary rover. 

He is kind, 
A bounteous friend to every living thing 
Save one alone, the dragon ; but with him 
The panther ever lives at enmity, 
Employing every means within his power 
To work him evil. 

Fair is he, full bright 
And wonderful of hue. The holy scribes 
Tell us how Joseph's many-colored coat, 
Gleaming with varying dyes of every shade, 
Brilliant, resplendent, dazzled all men's eyes 
That looked upon it. So the panther's hues 
Shine altogether lovely, marvelous, 
While each fair color in its beauty glows 
Ever more rare and charming than the rest. 
His wondrous character is mild, and free 



6 

milde. gemetfs^- He is monjDwaere. 

lufsum and leoftael : nele la{>es wiht 
aVnsfum geaefnan biitan [)am attorsceapan, 
lymgenitan. f>e ic aer fore saegde. 
g Symle. fylle faegen. J>onne foddor J)iged, 
aefter £>am gereorduxn seoed, 

under dunscrafum ; 
daer se £>eo[d]wiga preonihta faec 
swifed on swe r o]fote. slaepe gebiesga[d]. 

40 ponne ellenrof up astonded, 

|)r\-mme gem lga[d], on pone pnddan daeg, 
sneome of slaepe. eghleopor cym 

w5j)a wynsumast. £>urh f>a?s wildres mud ; 
aefter {)aere stefne stenc at cyme 5 

45 of f>am wongstede — wynsumra steam, 
swettra and swipra. swaecca gehwylcum, 
\vyrta blostmum and \\*udubledum . 
eallum SBpelicra eorpan fraetwfum]. 



it. Kind, attractive, and friendly, he has no though" 
of doing harm to any save the envenomed foe, hi 
ancient adversary of whom I spoke. 

When, delighting in a feast, he has partaken of food, 
ever at the end of the meal he betakes himself to his 
:ng-place, a hidden retreat among the mountain- 
caves ; there the champion of his race, overcome by 
sleep. abandons himself to slumber for the space of three 
nights. Then the dauntless one, replenished with vigor, 
straightway arises from sleep when the third day has 
come. A melody, the most ravishing of strains, flows 
from the wild beasts mouth: and, following the music, 
there issues a fragrance from the place — a fume more 
transporting, sweet, and strong than any odor whate- 
than blossoms of plants or fruits of the forest, choicer 



The Panther 

From all disturbing passion. Gracious, kind, 
And full of love, he meditates no harm 
But to that venomous foe, as I have told, 
His ancient enemy. 

Once he has rejoiced 
His heart with feasting, straight he finds a nook 
Hidden among dim caves, his resting-place. 
There three nights' space, in deepest slumber wrapped, 
The people's champion lies. Then, stout of heart, 
The third day he arises fresh from sleep, 
Endowed with glorv. From the creature's mouth 
Issues a melody of sweetest strains ; 
And close upon the voice a balmy scent 
Fills all the place — an incense lovelier, 
Sweeter, and abler to perfume the air, 
Than any odor of an earthly flower 
Or scent of wuodland fruit, more excellent 



8 The Panther 

ponne of ceastrum and cynestolum 

50 and of burgsalum beornf>reat monig 
fara5 foldwegum folca J>ry{)um ; 
eoredcystum, ofestum gefysde, 
dareSlacende — deor [s]wa some — 
aefter J>aere stefne on J)one stenc fara5. 

55 Swa is Dryhten God, dreama Raedend, 
eallum ea5mede of>rum gesceaftum, 
duguSa gehwylcre, but an dracan anum, 
at t res ordfruman — ]D8et is se ealda feond 
J)one he gesaelde in susla grund, 

60 and gefetrade fyrnum teagum, 

bij>eahte {>reanydum ; and \>y f>riddan dsege 
of digle aras, f)8es f>e he deaQ fore us 
t>reo niht J>olade, peoden engla, 
sigora Sellend. paet wa9S swete stenc, 

65 wlitig and wynsum, geond woruld ealle. 
SiJ>J)an to f>am swicce soSfaeste men, 



than aught that clothes the earth with beauty. There- 
upon from cities, courts, and castle-halls many companies 
of heroes flock along the highways of earth ; the wielders 
of the spear press forward in hurrying throngs to that 
perfume — and so also do animals — when once the music 
has ceased. 

Even so the Lord God, the Giver of joy, is gracious to 
all creatures, to every order of them, save only the dragon, 
the source of venom, that ancient enemy whom he bound 
in the abyss of torments ; shackling him with fiery fetters, 
and loading him with dire constraints, he arose from 
darkness on the third day after he, the Lord of angels, 
the Bestower of victory, had for three nights endured 
death on our behalf. That was a sweet perfume through- 
out the world, winsome and entrancing. Henceforth, 



The Panther g 

Than all this world's adornments. Then from town 
And palace, then from castle-hall, come forth 
Along the roads great troops of hurrying men — 
The very beasts come also; all press on 
Toward that sweet odor, when the voice is stilled. 

Such as this creature is the Lord our God, 
Giver of joys, to all creation kind, 
To men benignant, save alone to him, 
The dragon, author of all wickedness, 
Satan, the ancient adversary whom, 
Fettered with fire, shackled with dire constraint, 
Into the pit of torments God cast down. 
The third day Christ arose from out the grave, 
For three nights having suffered death for us, 
He, Lord of angels, he in whom alone 
Is hope of overcoming. Far and wide 
The tidings spread, like perfume fresh and sweet, 
Through all the world. Then to that fragrance thronged 



io The Panther 

on healfa gehwone, heapum {)rungon 
geond ealne ymbhwyrft eorf>an sceat[a]. 
Swa se snottra gecwaB5 Sanctus Paulus : 
70 ' Monigfealde sind geond middangeard 
god ungnyde J)e us to giefe dailed 
and to feorhnere Faeder aelmihtig, 
and se anga Hyht ealra gesceafta 
uppe ge niftfe.' paet is aepele stenc. 



through the whole extent of earth's regions, righteous 
men have streamed in multitudes from every side to that 
fragrance. As said the wise St. Paul : ' Manifold over the 
world are the lavish bounties which the Father almighty, 
the Hope of all creatures above and below, bestows on 
us as grace and salvation/ That, too, is a sweet odor. 



The Panther n 

From every side all men whose hearts were true, 
Throughout the regions of the circled earth. 
Thus spoke the wise St. Paul: 'In all the world 
His gifts are many, which he gives to us 
For our salvation with unstinting hand, 
Almighty Father, he, the only Hope 
Of all in heaven or here below on earth.' 
This is that noble fragrance, rare and sweet, 
Which draws all men to seek it from afar. 



II 

THE WHALE (ASP-TURTLE) 

Nu ic fitte gen ymb fisca cynn 

wille woScrsefte wordum cy]Dan 

Jmrh modgemynd, bi ]d am miclan hwale. 

Se bi5 unwillum oft gemeted, 
5 frecne and fer[A]dgrim, faredlaoendum, 

nippa. gehwylcum ; J>am is noma cenned, 

fyr[ge]nstreama geflotan, Fastitocalon. 
Is J)ses hiw gelic hreofum stane, 

swylce worie bi waedes of re, 
10 sondbeorgum ymbseald, sasryrica msest, 

swa J)aet wena{) waeglij)ende 

J)a3t hy on ealond sum eagum wilt en ; 

and J)onne gehyd[t]a5 heahstefn scipu 

to J) am unlonde oncyrrapum, 
15 s[^]laj) saemearas sundes set ende, 

This time I will with poetic art rehearse, by means 
of words and wit, a poem about a kind of fish, the great 
sea-monster which is often unwillingly met, terrible and 
cruel-hearted to seafarers, yea, to every man ; this 
swimmer of the ocean-streams is known as the asp-turtle. 

His appearance is like that of a rough boulder, as if 
there were tossing by the shore a great ocean-reedbank 
begirt with sand-dunes, so that seamen imagine they 
are gazing upon an island, and moor their high-pro wed 
ships with cables to that false land, make fast the ocean- 
coursers at the sea's end, and, bold of heart, climb up 



II 

THE WHALE (ASP-TURTLE) 

Now will I spur again my wit, and use 
Poetic skill to weave words into song, 
Telling of one among the race of fish, 
The great asp-turtle. Men who sail the sea 
Often unwillingly encounter him, 
Dread preyer on mankind. His name we know, 
The ocean-swimmer, Fastitocalon. 

Dun, like rough stone in color, as he floats 
He seems a heaving bank of reedy grass 
Along the shore, with rolling dunes behind, 
So that sea-wanderers deem their gaze has found 
An island. Boldly then their high-pro wed ships 
They moor with cables to that shore, a land 
That is no land. Still floating on the waves, 
Their ocean-coursers curvet at the marge ; 



14 The Asp- Turtle 

and Jxmne in J)aet eglond up gewitad 

collenfer[/^]J)e ; ceolas stondad 

bi staf>e faeste streame biwunden. 

Donne gewiciao werigfer[/&]9e, 
20 faroolacende, frecnes ne wenao. 
On {Dam ealonde aeled weccad, 

heah fyr ailaS. HaelejD beoj) on wynnum, 

reonigmode, raeste gel[y]ste. 

ponne gefele5 f acnes craeftig 
25 {)83t him J)a ferend on faeste wuniaj), 

wic weardiad, wedres on luste, 

Sonne semninga on sealtne wseg 

mid J)a no{)e ni{)er gewitej), 

garsecges gaest, grund geseced, 
30 and Jxmne in deaQsele drence bifaesteo 

scipu mid scealcum. 

Swa bib scinn[^n]a {)eaw, 

deofla wise, J)aet hi droht[i]ende 

t>urh dyrne meaht dugu5e beswica5, 

and on teosu tyhtaj) tilra daeda, 
35 wemaD on willan, J)aet hy wra{)e secen, 

on that island ; the vessels stand by the beach, enringed 
by the flood. The weary-hearted sailors then encamp, 
dreaming not of peril. 

On the island they start a fire, kindle a mounting flame. 
The dispirited heroes, eager for repose, are flushed with 
joy. Now when the cunning plotter feels that the seamen 
are firmly established upon him, and have settled down 
to enjoy the weather, the guest of ocean sinks without 
warning into the salt wave with his prey (?), and makes 
for the bottom, thus whelming ships and men in that 
abode of death. 

Such is the way of demons, the wont of devils : they 
spend their lives in outwitting men by their secret power, 
inciting them to the corruption of good deeds, misguiding 



The Asp- Turtle 15 

The weary-hearted sailors mount the isle, 
And, free from thought of peril, there abide. 

Elated, on the sands they build a fire, 
A mounting blaze. There, light of heart, they sit — 
No more discouraged — eager for sweet rest. 
Then when the crafty fiend perceives that men, 
Encamped upon him, making their abode, 
Enjoy the gentle weather, suddenly 
Under the salty waves he plunges down, 
Straight to the bottom deep he drags his prey ; 
He, guest of ocean, in his watery haunts 
Drowns ships and men, and fast imprisons them 
Within the halls of death. 

Such is the way 
Of demons, devils ' wiles : to hide their power, 
And stealthily inveigle heedless men, 
Inciting them against all worthy deeds, 
And luring them to seek for help and comfort 



1 6 The Asp- Turtle 

frofre to feondum, oJ)J>33t hy faeste 5aer 
set J)am waerlogan wic geceosad. 
ponne J>8et gecnawe5 of cwicsusle 
flah feond gemah, jDaette fira gehwylc 

40 haele^a cynnes on his hringe bij) 
faeste gefeged, he him feorgbona, 
[)urh sli]?en searo, sij){>an weorf>e5, 
wloncum and heanum pe his willan her 
firenum fremma5 ; mid [)am he faeringa, 

45 heolojjhelme bij)eaht, helle sece5, 
goda geasne, grundleasne wylm 
under mistglome, swa se micla hwael 
se pe bisence6 saMipende 
eorlas and y Smear as. 

He hafaQ opve gecynd, 

50 waeterjtisa wlonc, wraetlicran glen, 
ponne hine on holme hungor bysga5, 
and {xme aglaecan setes lystep, 
5onne se mereweard mud ontyne5, 

them at will so that they seek help and support from 
fiends, until they end by making their fixed abode with 
the betrayer. When, from out his living torture, the 
crafty, malicious enemy perceives that any one is firmly 
settled within his domain, he proceeds, by his malignant 
wiles, to become the slayer of that man, be he rich or 
poor, who sinfully does his will ; and, covered by his 
cap of darkness, suddenly betakes himself with them to 
hell, where naught of good is found, a bottomless abyss 
shrouded in misty gloom — like that monster which 
engulfs the ocean- traversing men and ships. 

This proud tosser of the waves has another and still 
more wonderful trait. When hunger plagues him on 
the deep, and the monster longs for food, this haunter 
of the sea opens his mouth, and sets his lips agape ; 



The Asp- Turtle 17 

From unsuspected foes, until at last 

They choose a dwelling with the faithless one. 

Then, when the fiend, by crafty malice stirred, 

From where hell's torments bind him fast, perceives 

That men are firmly set in his domain, 

With treachery unspeakable he hastes 

To snare and to destroy the lives of those, 

Both proud and lowly, who in sin perform 

His will on earth. Donning the mystic helm 

Of darkness, with his prey he speeds to hell, 

The place devoid of good — all misty gloom, 

Where broods a sullen lake, black, bottomless, 

Just as the monster, Fastitocalon, 

Destroys seafarers, overwhelming men 

And staunch-built ships. 

Another trait he has, 
This proud sea-swimmer, still more marvelous. 
When hunger grips the monster on the deep, 
Making him long for food, his gaping mouth 
The ocean- warder opens, stretching wide 



18 The Asp-Turtle 

wide weleras ; cyme 5 wynsum stenc 
55 of his innojje, Jjsette 6J>re {mrh Jxme, 

saefisca cynn, beswicen weordaj). 

Swimma3 sundhwate f)aer se sweta stenc 

ut gewit[e]5. Hi jDser in farad, 

unware weorude, offset se wida ceafl 
60 gefylled bi5 ; jxmne f seringa 

ymbe f>a herehuj)e hlemmeS togsedre 

grimme goman. 

Swa bij) gumena gehwam 

se f>e oftost his unwserlice, 

on J)as laenan tid, lif bisceawa5 : 
65 laete5 hine beswican £>urh swetne stenc, 

leasne willan, J)a?t he bij) leahtrum fah 

wi5 Wuldorcyning. Him se awyrgda ongean 

a3fter hinsl{)e helle ontyne5, 

])am {>e leaslice lices wynne 
70 ofer ferh[5]gereaht fremedon on unraed. 

ponne se faecna in J)am faastenne 

gebroht hafad, bealwes cra3ftig, 

whereupon there issues a ravishing perfume from his 
inwards, by which other kinds of fish are beguiled. With 
lively motions they swim to where the sweet odor comes 
forth, and there enter in, a heedless host, until the wide 
gorge is full ; then, in one instant, he snaps his fierce 
jaws together about the swarming prey. 

Thus it is with any one who, in this fleeting time, 
full oft neglects to take heed to his life, and allows him- 
self to be enticed by sweet fragrance, a lying lure, so that 
he becomes hostile to the King of glory by reason of 
his sins. The accursed one will, when they die, throw 
wide the doors of hell to those who, in their folly, have 
wrought the treacherous delights of the body, contrary 
to the wise guidance of the soul. When the deceiver, 
skilful in wrongdoing, hath brought into that fastness, 



The Asp- Turtle 19 

His monstrous lips ; and from his cavernous maw 
Sends an entrancing odor. This sweet scent, 
Deceiving other fishes, lures them on 
In swiftly moving schools toward that fell place 
Whence comes the perfume. There, unwary host, 
They enter in, until the yawning mouth 
Is filled to overflowing, when, at once, 
Trapping their prey, the fearful jaws snap shut. 

So, in this fleeting earthly time, each man 
Who orders heedlessly his mortal life 
Lets a sweet odor, some beguiling wish, 
Entice him, so that in the eyes of God, 
The King of glory, his iniquities 
Make him abhorrent. After death for him 
The all-accursed devil opens hell — 
Opens for all who in their folly here 
Let pleasures of the body overcome 
Their spirits' guidance. When the wily fiend 
Into his hold beside the fiery lake 



20 The Asp- Turtle 

get {)am [djdwylme, J)a J>e him on cleofiad, 
gyltum gehrodene, and aer georne his 

75 in hira lifdagum larum hyrdon, 

]Donne he f>a grimman goman bihlemmeS, 
aefter feorhcwale, faeste togaedre, 
helle hlindnru. Nagon hwyrft ne swice, 
utsl]p aefre, ]?a [j>e] ]D33r in cumad, 

80 Jxm ma pe ]?a fiscas, fara51acende, 
of J)33s hwaeles fenge hweorfan motan. 
ForJ)on is eallinga 

dryhtna Dryhtne, and a deoflum wiSsace 
85 wordum and weorcum, Ip&t we Wuldorcyning 
geseon moton. Uton a sibbe to him, 
on {>as hwilnan tid, haelu secan, 
J)83t we mid swa leofne in lofe motan 
to widan feore wuldres neotan. 



the lake of fire, those that cleave to him and are laden 
with guilt, such as had eagerly followed his teachings 
in the days of their life, he then, after their death, snaps 
tight together his fierce jaws, the gates of hell. They 
who enter there have neither relief nor escape, no means 
of flight, any more than the fishes that swim the sea can 
escape from the clutch of the monster. 

Therefore is it by all means [best for every one of us 
to serve 1 ] the Lord of lords, and strive against devils with 
words and works, that so we may come to behold the 
King of glory. Let us ever, now in this fleeting time, seek 
from him grace and salvation, that so with the Beloved 
we may in worship enjoy the bliss of heaven for evermore. 



1 Conjecturally supplied. 



The Asp-Turtle 21 

With evil craft has led those erring ones 
Who cleave to him, sore laden with their sins, 
Those who in earthly life have hearkened well 
To his instruction, after death close shut 
He snaps those woful jaws, the gates of hell. 
Whoever enters there has no relief, 
Nor may he any more escape his doom 
And thence depart, than can the swimming fish 
Elude the monster. 

Therefore it is [best 
And 1 ] altogether [right for each of us 
To serve and honor God, 1 ] the Lord of lords, 
And always in our every word and deed 
To combat devils, that we may at last 
Behold the King of glory. In this time 
Of transitory things, then, let us seek 
Peace and salvation from him, that we may 
Rejoice for ever in so dear a Lord, 
And praise his glory everlastingly. 



1 Conjecturally supplied. 



Ill 

THE PARTRIDGE 1 

Hyrde ic secgan gen bi sumum fugle 
wundorlicne 3 



faeger 

]38et word J)e gecwsed wuldres Ealdor : 
5 'In swa hwylce tiid swa ge mid treowe to me 

on hyge hweorfa5, and ge hellfirena 
sweartra geswicaS, swa ic symle to eow 
mid siblufan sona gecyrre 
Jmrh milde mod ; ge beo5 me sij){>an 

So, too, I have heard tell a wondrous [tale 2 ] about a 
certain bird. 3 . . . fair the word 4 spoken by the King 
of glory : ' At whatsoever time ye turn to me with faith 
in your soul, and forsake the black iniquities of hell, 
I will turn straightway to you with love, in the gentleness 
of my heart ; and thenceforth ye shall be reckoned to 

1 The partridge (like the cuckoo) broods the eggs of other birds. 
When they are hatched and grown, they fly off to their true 
parents. So men may turn from the devil, who has wrongfully 
gained possession of them, to their heavenly Father, who will 
receive them as his children. 

2 Conjecturally supplied. 

3 Gap in the manuscript, probably of considerable length. 

4 Cf. 2 Cor. 6. 17, 18; Isa. 55. 7; Heb. 2. 10, 11. 



Ill 

THE PARTRIDGE 

About another creature have I heard 
A wondrous [tale.] [There is] a bird [men call 
The partridge. Strange is she, unlike all birds 
In field or wood who brood upon their eggs, 
Hatching their young. The partridge lays no eggs, 
Nor builds a dwelling ; but instead, she steals 
The well-wrought nests of others. There she sits, 
Warming a stranger brood, until at last 
The eggs are hatched. But when the stolen chicks 
Are fledged, they straightway fly away to seek 
Their proper kin, and leave the partridge there 
Forsaken. In such wise the devil works 
To steal the souls of those whose youthful minds 
Or foolish hearts in vain resist his wiles. 
But when they reach maturer age, they see 
They are true children of the Lord of lords. 
Then they desert the lying fiend, and seek 
Their rightful Father, who with open arms 
Receives them, as he long since promised them. 1 ] 

Fair is that word the Lord of glory spoke : 
'In such time as you turn with faithful hearts 
To me, and put away your hellish sins, 
Abominable to me, then will I turn 
To you in love for ever, for my heart 
Is mild and gracious. Thenceforth you shall be 

i Conjecturally supplied, on the basis of other versions. 



24 The Partridge 

10 torhte, tireadge, talade and rimde, 
beorhte gebrojDor on bearna stael/ 

Uton we £>y geornor Gode oliccan, 
firene feogan, frizes earnian, 
dugude to Dryhtne, penden us daeg seine, 
15 f)aet swa sepelne eardwica cyst 
in wuldres wlite wunian motan. 

Finit. 

me as glorious and renowned, as my illustrious brethren, 
yea, in the place of children. 

Let us therefore propitiate God with all zeal, abhor 
evil, and gain forgiveness and salvation from the Lord 
while for us the day still shines, so that thus we may, 
in glorious beauty, inhabit a dwelling excellent beyond 
compare. Finit. 



The Partridge 25 

Refulgent, glorious, numbered with the host 
Of heaven, and, instead of children, called 
Bright brethren of the Lord/ 

Let us by this 
Be taught to please God better, hating sin, 
And strive to earn salvation from the Lord, 
His full deliverance, so long as day 
Shall shine upon us, that we may at last 
Inhabit heavenly mansions, nobler far 
Than earthly dwellings, gloriously bright. 

Finit. 



YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH 
Albert S. Cook, Editor 

I. The Foreign Sources of Modern English Versification. 

Charlton M. Lewis, Ph.D. $0.50. (Out of print.) 
II. iElfric : A New Study of his Life and Writings. Caroline 
Louisa White, Ph.D. $1.50. 

III. The Life of St. Cecilia, from MS. Ashmole 43 and MS. 

Cotton Tiberius E. VII, with Introduction, Variants, and 
Glossary. Bertha Ellen Lovewell, Ph.D. $1.00. 

IV. Dryden's Dramatic Theory and Practice. Margaret Sher- 

wood, Ph.D. $0.50. 
V. Studies in Jonson's Comedy. Elisabeth Woodbridge, 

Ph.D. $0.50. 
VI. A Glossary of the West Saxon Gospels, Latin-West Saxon 
and West Saxon-Latin. Mattie Anstice Harris, Ph.D. 
$1.50. 
VII. Andreas : The Legend of St. Andrew, translated from the 
Old English, with an Introduction. Robert Kilburn 
Root, Ph.D. $0.50. 
VIII. The Classical Mythology of Milton's English Poems. 
Charles Grosvenor Osgood, Ph.D. $1.00. 
IX. A Guide to the Middle English Metrical Romances dealing 
with English and Germanic Legends, and with the 
Cycles of Charlemagne and of Arthur. Anna Hunt 
Billings, Ph.D. $1.50. 
X. The Earliest Lives of Dante, translated from the Italian of 
Giovanni Boccaccio and Lionardo Bruni Aretino. James 
Robinson Smith. $0.75. 
XL A Study in Epic Development. Irene T. Myers, Ph.D. 

$1.00. 
XII. The Short Story. Henry Seidel Canby, Ph.D. $0.30. 
Xin. King Alfred's Old English Version of St. Augustine's 
Soliloquies, edited with Introduction, Notes, and 
Glossary. Henry Lee Hargrove, Ph.D. $1.00. 



Yale Studies in English 

XIV. The Phonology of the Northumbrian Gloss of St. 
Matthew. Emily Howard Foley, PhD. $0.75. 

XV. Essays on the Study and Use of Poetry by Plutarch 

and Basil the Great, translated from the Greek, 
with an Introduction. Frederick M. Padelford, 
Ph.D. $0.75. 

XVI. The Translations of Beowulf: A Critical Bibliography. 

ChauncEy B. Tinker, Ph.D. $0.75. 
XVn The Alchemist, by Ben Jonson, edited with Intro- 
duction, Notes, and Glossary. Charles M. Hatha- 
way, Jr., PhD. $2.50. Cloth, $3.00. 
XVIII. The Expression of Purpose in Old English Prose. 
Hubert Gibson Shearin, PhD. $1.00. 
XIX. Classical Mythology in Shakespeare. Robert Kilburn 

Root, PhD. $1.00. 
XX. The Controversy between the Puritans and the Stage. 

Elbert N. S. Thompson, Ph.D. $2.00. 
XXI The Elene of Cynewulf, translated into English Prose 
Lucius Hudson Holt, Ph.D. $0.30. (Out of print.) 
XXII King Alfred's Old English Version of St. Augustine's 
Soliloquies, turned into Modern English. Henry Lee 
Hargrove, PhD. $0.75. 

XXIII. TheCross in the Life and Literature of the Anglo-Saxons. 

William O. Stevens, Ph.D. $0.75. 

XXIV. An Index to the Old English Glosses of the Durham 

Hymnarium. Harvey W. Chapman. $0.75. 
XXV Bartholomew Fair, by Ben Jonson, edited with Introduc- 
tion, Notes, and Glossary. Carroll Storrs Alden, 

PhD. $2.00. 

XXVI. Select Translations from Scaliger's Poetics. Frederick 

M. Padelford, PhD. $0.75. 

XXVII. Poetaster, by Ben Jonson, edited with Introduction, 

Notes, and Glossary. Herbert S. Mallory, Ph.D. 
$2.00. Cloth, $2.50. 

XXVIII. The Staple of News, by Ben Jonson, edited with 

Introduction, Notes, and Glossary. De Winter, 
Ph.D. $2.00. Cloth, $2.50. 



Yale Studies in English 

XXIX. The Devil is an Ass, by Ben Jonson, edited with In- 
troduction, Notes, and Glossary. William Savage 
Johnson, Ph.D. $2.00. Cloth, $2.50. 
XXX. The Language of the Northumbrian Gloss to the 
Gospel of St. Luke. Margaret Dutton Kellum, 
Ph.D. $0.75. (Out of print.) 
XXXI. Epicoene, or the Silent Woman, by Ben Jonson, 
edited with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary. 
Aurelia Henry, Ph.D. $2.00. Cloth, $2.50. 
XXXII. The Syntax of the Temporal Clause in Old English 
Prose. Arthur Adams, Ph.D. $1.00. 

XXXIII. The Knight of the Burning Pestle, by Beaumont and 

Fletcher, edited with Introduction, Notes, and 
Glossary. Herbert S. Murch, Ph.D. $2.00. 

XXXIV. The New Inn, by Ben Jonson, edited with Intro- 

duction, Notes, and Glossary. George Bremner 
Tennant, Ph.D. $2.00. 
XXXV. A Glossary of Wulfstan's Homilies. Loring Holmes 

Dodd, Ph.D. $1.00. (Out of print.) 
XXXVI. The Complaint of Nature, translated from the Latin 
of Alain de Lille. Douglas M. Moffat, M.A. $0.75. 
XXXVII. The Collaboration of Webster and Dekker. Fred- 
erick Erastus Pierce, Ph.D. $1.00. 
XXXVIII. English Nativity Plays, edited with Introduction, 
Notes, and Glossary. Samuel B. Hemingway, Ph.D. 
$2.00. Cloth $2.50. (Out of print.) 
XXXIX. Concessive Constructions in Old English Prose. 
Josephine May Burnham, Ph.D. $1.00. 
XL. The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates, by John Milton, 
edited with Introduction and Notes. William 
Talbot Allison, Ph.D. $1.25. 
XLI. Biblical Quotations in Middle English Literature 

before 1350. Mary W. Smyth, Ph.D. $2.00. 
XLII. The Dialogue in English Literature. Elizabeth 

Merrill, Ph.D. $1.00. 
XLIII. A Study of Tindale's Genesis, compared with the 
Genesis of Coverdale and of the Authorized Version. 
Elizabeth Whittlesey Cleaveland, Ph.D. $2.00. 



Yale .Studies in English 

XLIV. The Presentation of Time in the Elizabethan Drama. 

Mable Buland, Ph.D. $1.50. 
XLV. Cynthia's Revels, or, The Fountain of Self-Love, 
by Ben Jonson, edited with Introduction, Notes, 
and Glossary. Alexander Corbin Judson, Ph.D. 
$2.00. 
XL VI. Richard Brome: A Study of his Life and Works. 

Clarence Edward Andrews, Ph.D. $1.25. 
XLVII. The Magnetic Lady, or, Humors Reconciled, by 
Ben Jonson, edited with Introduction, Notes, 
and Glossary. Harvey Whitefield Peck, Ph.D. 
$2.00. 
XLVIII. Genesis A (sometimes attributed to Caedmon), trans- 
lated from the Old English. Lawrence Mason, Ph.D. 
$0.75. 
XLIX. The Later Version of the Wyclifflte Epistle to the 
Romans, compared with the Latin Original: 
A Study of Wyclifflte English. Emma Curtiss 
Tucker, Ph.D. $1.50. 
L. Some Accounts of the Bewcastle Cross between 
the Years 1607 and 1861. Albert Stanburrough 
Cook. $1.50. 
LI. The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free 
Commonwealth, by John Milton, edited with In- 
troduction, Notes, and Glossary. Evert Mordecai 
Clark, Ph.D. $1.50. 
LII. Every Man in his Humor, by Ben Jonson, edited 
with Introduction, Notes, and Glossary. Henry 
Holland Carter, Ph.D. $4.00. 
LIII. Catiline, his Conspiracy, by Ben Jonson, edited with 
Introduction, Notes, and Glossary. Lynn Harold 
Harris, Ph.D. $2.00. 
LIV. Of Reformation, touching Church-Discipline in Eng- 
land, by John Milton, edited with Introduction, 
Notes, and Glossary. Will Taliaferro Hale, Ph.D. 
$2.00. 
LV. Old English Scholarship in England from 1566 to 
1800. Eleanor N. Adams, Ph.D. $2.00. 



Yale Studies in English 

LVI. The Case is Altered, by Ben Jonson, edited with 
Introduction, Notes, and Glossary. William Ed- 
ward Selin, Ph.D. $2.00. 

LVII. Wordsworth's Theory of Poetic Diction: A Study 
of the Historical and Personal Background of the 
Lyrical Ballads. Marjorie Latta Barstow, Ph.D. 
$1.50. 
LVIII. Horace in the English Literature of the Eighteenth 
Century. Caroline Goad, Ph.D. $3.00. 

LIX. Volpone, or, The Fox, by Ben Jonson, edited with 
Introduction, Notes, and Glossary. John D. Rea, 
Ph.D. $2.50. 

LX. The Mediaeval Attitude toward Astrology, particularly 
in England. Theodore Otto Wedel, Ph.D. $2.50. 

LXI. Purity, A Middle English Poem, edited with Intro- 
duction, Notes, and Glossary. Robert J. Menner, 
Ph.D. $3.00. 
LXII. Ann Radcliffe in Relation to her Time. Clara 

Frances McIntyre, Ph.D. $1.50. 
LXIII. The Old English Physiologus, Text and Prose Trans- 
lation by Albert Stanburrough Cook; Verse 
Translation by James Hall Pitman. $0.80. 



**f * 



s 











t • Deacidified using the Bookkeeper process. 

* J&, Neutralizing agent: Magnesium Oxide 

*0 r • JS Treatment Date: Feb - 2009 

^ ° ^ °* V^ JP^° *° "^ "jj PreservationTechnologies 

o* -,"$• <£» ■» A WORLD LEADER IN COLLECTIONS PRESERVATION 

\v ^ A v ^ 111 Thomson Park Drive 

^ * Y * °* ^ J>9 * S !tnL/* V^ Cranberry Township, PA 16066 

A^ *V^/U*o "** .^ »Vfiife*«\ ^. (724)779-2111 



* *:wv 



A 



6* 



4? 



^ ^ 






> " ° v \* ... ■* 



0< 



^' 






v ^* .v&v. ^. .,* v /ii 



■*jf&t£'fo' 



